TV weathergirl Sam Sparks (voiced by Anna Faris, left) and inventor Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) find that giant food leads to giant problems in the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (Columbia Pictures)

Sharing more in common with the psychedelic 1970s TV work of Sid and Marty Krofft than with anything being made by Pixar, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is eccentric, loopy fun.

Adapted from the popular children’s book of the same name, this 3-D movie centres on Flint Lockwood (Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader), a self-described “weirdo” who spends most of his time dreaming of scientific greatness from the inside of his port-o-potty laboratory. He has a laundry list of botched inventions behind him — everything from flying cars to spray-on shoes — and his gruff father urges him to get a real job instead of unleashing another one of his disastrous creations on the residents of Swallow Falls.

Though the animation here isn’t quite on par with the smooth precision of Wall*E, the film's kookiest sequences are still a treat for the eyes.

Undeterred, Flint keeps striving to make something meaningful, and has an accidental triumph when his dynamic mutating food replicator — a machine that can turn water into food — suddenly triggers a spontaneous rainfall of hamburgers. Sam Sparks (Anna Faris), a plucky aspiring TV weather girl, is on hand to record the bizarre meteorological event, and soon, Flint is savouring the sweet taste of success.

Though the animation here isn’t quite on par with the smooth precision of Wall*E, Cloudy’s kookiest sequences are still a feast for the eyes, especially in the moments when eager-to-please Flint uses his invention to concoct decadent meals for his ravenous new fans in Swallow Falls. The scenes involving a giant palace made of golden Jell-o and a shot of children making snow angels in pastel-coloured ice cream are wondrous.

As in most recent animated films, there is a more serious message nestled under Cloudy’s sunny-side-up surface. As Flint succumbs to pressure from the town’s corrupt mayor (Bruce Campbell) to keep delivering bigger and better food for the masses, he ignores all warning signs of increased radiation and imminent disaster. Soon, mutant hot dogs and giant, genetically modified bagels are threatening to crush the tiny town and possibly the world.

It’s unclear how much of this weightier material will register with kids — the youngsters I was with were far more interested in Flint’s sidekick, Steve (Neil Patrick Harris), a manic monkey with a gummy-bear fetish. But Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs moves along at such a breezy clip and is filled with such infectious goofiness that if there is an underlying message, it doesn’t hinder the fun.

Flint uses his invention to create a giant palace made of golden Jell-O in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (Columbia Pictures)

A lot of the movie’s goodwill stems from its excellent cast, who were no doubt cracking themselves up while providing their animated voice work. Though there isn’t any one standout, the gifted comedienne Anna Faris does make an inspired cartoon character. Even in live-action movies, Faris comes off as an overgrown kid, and her sleepy voice suits the character of Sam, a weathergirl who titters and plays dumb in order to hide her inner nerd. Sam makes a great foil for Flint, and before long, the geeky misfits are using their considerable wits to save the world from flying pizza slices and a raging twister made out of spaghetti (both are fairly awe-inspiring, thanks to the 3-D). And if that doesn’t make you succumb, the dancing roast chickens certainly will.

In fact, the last act of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is so whacked-out, I’m tempted to believe this isn’t really a kids movie at all, but some great inside joke devised after a great deal of pot consumption. Either way, the joke works, and viewers are advised to bring lots of munchies — you’ll need ’em.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs opens Sept. 18.

Lee Ferguson writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.